ooc: this thread is designed for the Jedi's visit to examine Tiny. Tiny is concious this is shortly after the Trial.

Rownn, having requested and been granted limited fleet communications access sends a text message to Yavin IV requesting a holo communication with Master Skywalker. He receives a quick response that Master Skywalker will meet him in 10 minutes.

Rownn waits quietly, mentally replaying the events of the last mission, waiting for the holo communication indicator. Suddenly Master Skywalker appears on his holodisplay. "Hello Jedi Rownn, what gives me the pleasure of speaking with you today?" he says with a smile.

Rownn bows to the image of the grand master. "It is an honour to speak to you, Master Skywalker. I would like to report events I've been witness to in my missions on Dantooine and Perconia. Some have been… disturbing, and your experience and perspective in dealing with them would be appreciated."

Master Skywalker patiently raises an eyebrow, but allows the Wookie to continue

Rownn gives a shallow nod, acknowledging the acknowledgement. "I'm sure you've been receiving reports of the Yuuzhan Vong warriors, their ferocity and apparent invisibility in the Force? As you might expect, we've been having some difficulty combating them, we're essentially blind. I do believe I have been making some progress understanding their absence in the Force and being able to detect it, but I won't know more until I encounter them again. I've barely survived the past two encounters however, requiring force of Will perhaps more than martial prowess to overcome my opponents."

The Jedi Master nods and says "It is most troubling. The Jedi have relied on their senses to defend themselves against danger, and this is meaning that many Jedi are perishing against the Yuuzhan Vong. That is very interesting that you think you might be able to eventually sense them, hopefully you will be able to hone the technique enough to each others. It could be the saving grace of the Jedi Order"

Rownn nods at Master Skywalker's response, "It is a dark time." His eyes become remorseful as he adds, "On Dantooine I nearly perished fighting a group of their warriors; I accessed the Force to sustain my life and protect the refuges we were tasked with saving, allowing its power to course through me, sustain me, and to wash out over my enemies… in my desperation I allowed the Dark Side to come to my aide, and have paid a price."

He replies somberly "The path to the Dark Side is an easy one. Many Jedi rationalize their choices for drawing upon an easy source of power to defend themselves or their loved ones. I myself took that path and those decisions still haunt me today."

Rownn nods, empathizing with Luke's past, "I have been working hard to atone for my choice, working to cleanse the dark taint. I have been left marked by the Dark Side's touch, though; it seems to have left an unnatural cancer like growth on my heart the doctors do not understand… I am taking medication, but I fear only the Force may cure me."

Luke replies "Interesting that the Dark Side left a physical scar before you turning completly to the Dark Side. It always has its price, and in some ways it is good that you paid the price early. It will allow you to see what the Dark Side can do to you if you continue to call upon it. But be mindful that scars left by the Dark Side may never fully heal." he replies sadly

Rownn shifts the topic ahead, to the more recent past, "One of our team members, an Esoomian who had been a member of a crime syndicate before taking an appointment with us as part of an agreement with New Republic law enforcement, rather than imprisonment, seems to have spontaneously manifested Force sensitivity, and has lost control to the Dark Side during the last battle securing this planet, killing two members of our forces before turning his attention to the Vong warriors swarming us. Most troubling in the encounter was that he seemed to manifest an arm of pure dark energy, which he wielded as a terrible weapon, sundering anything that came under it. I've never really heard of such a thing happening, except in some obscure ancient stories that I'd taken to be myth; have you ever heard of such manifestations?"

His eyes go wide with shock as he says "I don’t believe I have ever heard of anything like that before. That is most troubing news. Were you able to defeat him or did he escape?" he asks noticeably concerned about a new breed of Sith.

"He did not escape. He fell in the combat, but I was able to sense his life force in the flaming wreckage, and we have recovered him. He is in bacta for at least a month."

"That is most troubling" Skywalker says "Do you still Sense the Dark Side within him?"

"The Esoomian, his name is Tiny, seems to have lost his active connection to the Force."

"Interesting" he says seeming a bit placated "I have only heard of one occasion slightly similar to this, and it was with the possession of one of my first students by the spirit of Exar Kun. Perhaps this is something similar to that. One of the Masters should examine both him and the planet for clues."

"I would welcome a Master's perspective," Rownn replies. "Our commanding officer was tempted to let Tiny die on the field, and I cannot blame him, but I have taken responsibility for him, to monitor him and take action as necessary should the Dark Side manifest again. I intend to teach him meditative techniques and the like to help him control his passions and prevent the Dark Side taking hold again. To be clear I have no intention of attempting to teach him to harness the Force, only to recognize and control the insistences of the Dark Side. I have dealt with the conflict between my species' natural aggressive tendencies and the lure of the Dark Side, and continue to do so. I think my perspective with this conflict will allow me to better empathize with the similar tendencies of his species." Rownn, looking slightly ashamed adds, "I am also responsible for the loss of his original arm, which occurred following the death of my former Master on initial journey to Yavin. I feel somewhat responsible for his anger. Before the battle below, he was making some headway, recognizing his new link to the Force, and the way his past actions have harmed others. He was beginning to show remorse for his past; then the stresses of the battle caused him to snap… but I believe I can get through to him."

Luke nods apprehensively and says "We do not want to train him more so that he would be more able to call upon the Dark Side. But I tend to agree with your assessment that you would be a good person to teach him the balance between Rage and the Force. How you have to live with an urge deep within you and exist in harmony with the Light Side of the Force. " He pauses before moving forward "Losing your master is a hard thing to deal with, and acting as you did is understandable. As you know a Jedi must be weary of revenge upon actions. Not only will you have to temper his need for revenge upon both you and people he feels have wronged him, you should also temper the revenge or hatred that the team feels toward him. I think that a positive forgiving environment will be conducive to his recovery. But you have made great strides since that time, and have grown as a Jedi. Is he willing to learn from you do you think, epically given your touchy past?"

He is headstrong and reactionary, but I think he can be brought around… though it will require effort. I don't know for sure, but I think he has suffered many abuses in his past; we'll have to work around the barriers he's built through his life, but I think there is good protected behind his walls."

"Do you think the both of you coming to the Praxium would be a wise choice, or remaining in the feild offer more distinct challenges for him to overcome?" Luke asks

Rownn considers the question, "At first, I think moving to the Praxium would be a distraction, making Tiny uneasy. Once the initial barriers have been bypassed, it may be a good environment to help him find his peace."

Rownn takes a deep breath and broaches another topic, "Another member of the team is also sensitive to the Force, and is extremely eager to learn about it and to manipulate it. While he seems to show some natural tendencies, I fear to teach him anything. He is perhaps too eager, and does not seem to understand self-restraint or control; I fear he seeks the Force for glory and the power it brings. While he outwardly works for the good of the group, all of his actions are tainted with efforts to better his own position and power. I fear his zeal could be all too easily manipulated for rapid gain; he lacks the respect necessary to restrain his own actions. If you send a Master along to investigate the planet and Tiny, they may wish to observe and assess this one as well."

Master Skywalker nods and says "It would be efficient. What is this potential candidates name?"

"Zinn Valimar, he's a human fighter pilot in his early twenties."

Luke nods and says "Ah yes, I recall him. He was discovered to be Force Sensitive. I believe Kyp had him assigned to your team so you could assess his potential as a future candidate. I know what pilots are like, and we did not expect you to commence his training. He would need to move to the Praxium if he was serious about wanting to become a Jedi. With so many masters around now, we don’t usually like training students on the go, especially if they are much older and set in their ways."

"We can discuss his future training potentials when we visit, if you can arrange a meeting and be present yourself that would be appreciated." Luke replies

Rownn nods to the Jedi Master, "I look forward to the visit. In the mean time, I shall continue to watch over Tiny, and continue my atonement ritual. Thank you for hearing my report and concerns. I look forward to greater insights into the situation." He pauses for a moment, "Do you know who you might assign this mission, Grand Master?"

Luke replies "Not at the moment, I will have to determine who is free and who is close. I will send a communiqué by the end of the day detailing the visiting schedule. Is there any other things you wish to speak to me about Jedi Rownn?" he asks

"No, Master Skywalker," He bows to Luke.

"May the Force be with you." he says before terminating the link

-----------------------------

Rownn receives a message that Master Saba Sebatyne will be paying the group a visit in just over a month's time._________________The Vong have Arrived

The day leading up to Master Sebatyne's arrival, Rownn seeks the other members of the team. Conveniently finding them all together and carting along a translation droid, he informs them of the Jedi Master's arrival time, "Master Rownn would like to inform you all that tomorrow, near 14:00, Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne will be arriving in docking bay Cresh-4. She will be assisting him in assessing the events surrounding the battle for Perconia, and any lingering effects it may have had on Tiny. He requests that you join him in welcoming her. Any insights you may have to offer could help in fully understanding the events leading in to, during and after that day."_________________Hotaru no Hishou; a messageboard about games, friends and nothing at all.

Tiny looks up from the workbench where he had been hammering a sheet of durasteel into a slight curve. He nervously fingers his stump before nodding._________________Don't waste money on expensive binoculars.

Rownn and Tiny are the two memebers of the crew who are on site for the Barabel's arrival. She arrives small shuttle and disembarks on time. She is wearing the traditional Jedi robes. She descends the shuttle and says "Jedi Rownn, thiz one iz glad to meet you" with a toothy smile. "And you muzt be Tiny" she says turning her gaze to Tiny, her smile going away as she stares hard into Tiny's eyes as if examining his soul. When Tiny breaks the gaze she adds "Thiz one waz told that there would be a third perzon that I waz to meet?" she asks Rownn

As a note: she is using Translation power to understand Rownns words, Tiny probably wont understand Rownn though as his training in Sherriwook has only just started. If you brought a translator droid let me know._________________The Vong have Arrived

Rownn bows to Master Sabatyne as she approaches, and growls a response, "We are honoured by your presence, Master Sabatyne." When she asks her question, Rownn is slightly slow to respond, "Yes, he decided to not join us for your initial meeting. He is unaware of your secondary role to assess him, and I have purposely left him in the dark to gauge his behaviour."

Rownn gestures towards the 3PO droid he wrangled along the way to indicate it should translate, and speaks, addressing both Saba and Tiny, "Master Rownn is sure you would like to begin without delay, Master Sabatyne. He asks if you prefer to begin here on board, or visit the planet surface?"_________________Hotaru no Hishou; a messageboard about games, friends and nothing at all.

Mentally cursing himself for running late, Zinn hurries through the corridors to the bay to meet Master Sabatyne. He's been working diligently on training up for the upcoming mission, and to his credit, his attention was fully focused on that task. However, that laser-sharp attention has caused him to be running a couple minutes behind.

When he gets to the bay, he stops momentarily, adjusts his flight suit, then enters the bay to find Rownn and Tiny already talking with the Barabel Jedi Master. He walks calmly up to the trio, letting his breathing return to normal as he crosses the bay.

When he reaches them, he waits for an appropriate break in the conversation. When it occurs, he bows at the waist and says, "Please forgive my tardiness. It is an honor to meet you, Master."

She nods to Rownn's response and says "It makez no differenze to thiz one. A plaze where we would be undizturbed is all that iz needed." She moves to gesture when Zinn approaches. "You muzt be Zinn" she says as she looks at the pilot seeming to size him up "Better late Zzen never making it at all." she then seems to laugh at her own joke "Zzszzs Zsszzsz ZSSzzszz" before continuing "Jedi Rownn, I am assuming you have a plazze in mind zo we may begin?"_________________The Vong have Arrived

Rownn glances towards Zinn as he makes his entrance and nods to Saba, gesturing back towards the doorway Zinn had just passed through, barking his response, "Master Rownn says he has taken the liberty to book one of the ship meeting rooms, and that access to a shuttle to the surface has also been arranged. If you will follow him, he will lead you to the conference room."

Rownn steps forward, passing Tiny and Zinn, and leads the way through the hallways._________________Hotaru no Hishou; a messageboard about games, friends and nothing at all.

As Rownn leads the way out, Zinn places a hand on Tiny's arm. "I know we haven't really gotten to see one another much since the trial...but it's good to see you up and about." He gives Tiny a genuine smile, then gestures for he and Master Sabatyne to precede him in following Rownn.

The group of people follow Rownn to the meeting room. When the arrive Saba says "If you would wait out here and make zure that we are not dizzzturbed Zinn, thank you." before following the other two inside the room.

She enters with Rownn and Tiny. She sits down on the ground and gestures for the other two to have a seat in a circle. She turns to Tiny and says "Explain to thiz one what happened and how you feel about it." She takes a few deep breaths to calm herself before looking at Tiny in the eyes. Rownn scan sense that she is gathering the Force around her, it has been so long since he has been around a Master the sensation surprises him slightly._________________The Vong have Arrived

Tiny looks the master in the eyes unflinchingly though it is a close thing. His posture indicates that he is anything but relaxed and once again he finds himself slipping into his native tongue before realising that the lack of a translation droid means he has to speak in basic.

“The Vong defftroyed my weapon, my weapon iff important to me, I’m not ffure if I can explain jufft how important. With it gone I knew I was going to die I waff a puny little runt again with nothing, no fftrength, no rightff. Without my weapon I was just uffeleffff and weak. I tried to remember what happened when they defftroyed it but I can't I was ffo ffcared it was like I paffffed out. I remember being afraid, and running and fftriking out but it's all a terrifying blur until I almost threw up under the elevator.”

Tiny closes his eyes, really struggling to remember “It waff like a wave, a wave that roffe up from inffide me and waffed away all my thoughtff. Terror and rage getting bigger and bigger until everything waff black”

He sighs and opens his eyes, returning to the more comfortable recounting he remembers from the trial. “I wanted to run away and hide then but I couldn't there were people who couldn't fight without us and even without my weapon Hrarr ffeemed to think he could make me ffomething better. So I fftayed and I did what I could, I tried not to talk to people too much because I felt broken and I knew that if ffomeone said ffomething I could have done ffomething bad so I did everything I could to be away from everyone. I moved ffo many rockff, every day, eat, move rockff, eat, ffleep. It helped but every time I looked down and ffaw it dangling uffelessly I felt unwhole."

Ffo many Vong came for uff, it ffeemed like all of them. We all pulled together doing what had to be done and for one moment it looked like we might actually make it. Then it happened. I got ffhot in the back, I turned to ffee what happened and everyone I could ffee was pointing a gun at me and doing their befft to kill me. I didn't understand. All I could think of was that they'd decided I was a liability or a monffter and they tried to put me down. I don't know how I did it but in my deffperation I reached out for the guy with the biggefft gun and I pulled him towards me. It doeffn't make any ffenffe even when I explain it now but it waff like I threw all my pain and terror at him like a harpoon and reeled him in, then when he got to me it jufft kept pulling and his life got all uffed up to keep me going."

"I didn't have time to feel much after that because I ffaw a Vong warrior going after Hrarr. Hrarr had done more than jufft not point a gun at me when everyone elffe had he looked out for me with hiff know-how, doing the thinking partff that I find so hard. ffo I did what I could I reached out for Hrarr the ffame way trying to keep him ffafe but it went wrong. Once I had him I couldn't let go I had to keep pulling and draining his life away. I tried to fftop, I tried ffo hard but all I ended up doing was jumping him around on my arm like meat on a fishing line." Tiny pauses, trying to remember what came next in more detail than he recounted at the trial.

"Aff Hrarr died, aff I killed him I felt a ffurge of power unlike anything I'd felt before. I was whole again, I was an unfftoppable living weapon. I knew what I had to do. I found the perffon who ordered me dead and I ffet out to kill him. I'd have done it, I'd have killed Garolf and made him an example to all the otherff. When I advanced on him I trod on Hrarr's body, ffuch an inffignificant ffmall thing, barely crunched under my hooves but when I looked down and ffaw him dead, the one guy I was ffupposed to protect, the one guy who had no place in any fight anywhere and went anyway dead because of me... I knew Garolf was right, I was the monffter. I turned and ran into the vong so that no matter what happened there would be leffff monsters in the world. All the time I waff running I could hear a voiffe in my head telling me to kill or telling me I didn’t defferve to live ffo I ffhould jufft let the Vong end it. I tried to ffut it up but I didn’t try very hard, mofftly I jufft let it happen onffe I got away from anyone that mattered.”

“How I feel about all thiff? I feel bad, I’m not ffure bad coverff it but it’ff a fftart. After I got ffhot my dream waff pretty meffed up. I don’t know what it meanff but I don’t think everything iff okay inffide my head.”

Tiny recounts his dream to Rownn and the Master in case it may be important. He can still remember it as if he just woke up as Dr Cornelious has had Tiny recount it many, many times:

Quote:

Distorted parodies of Vong warriors surround Tiny chanting encouragement and giving Tiny space to spar with one of their number. The twisted being’s face splits into a grotesque grin that bisects his face as he lunges with an acid dripping serpent. The blow makes a shallow cut on Tiny shoulder, the acid sizzling in the wound and sends tendrils of pain out through his body. Tiny roars in response drawing on his pain and rage to land a three fingered punch with his left hand on the Vong’s face. The sound of crushed cartilage is unnaturally loud and momentarily drowns out the chanting. The Vong staggers backwards, dark blood pouring from his ruined face. Despite this he laughs, nodding encouragingly as Tiny harnesses his anger to lash out.

Suddenly there is the scream of an engine cutting through battle, all faces turn skywards to see a sleek metallic ship strafing them. Blasts of righteous fire rain down from above purging the nightmarish Vong and engulfing Tiny in a conflagration. Tiny screams in agony as his skin begins to blister and peel sinking to his knees and trying to shield his face with his hands. The dark hand on his right arm pulses, each second of torment making it stronger until the darkness consumes Tiny. Even in the darkness there is no respite. Rather than snuffing out the flames the darkness has drawn them in, making them a part of Tiny so his pain is unending. He struggles to his feet looking himself over, seeing arteries and veins standing out on his skin as shimmering traceries of fire flowing through his body.

“Monster!” Garolf yells “On my mark destroy it!” Tiny turns to see Garolf leading a firing squad. Blasts of energy lance from faceless foes and drive him back as his flesh is ravaged. Once again the darkness surrounds him, sinister whispers goading him to annihilate his former comrades filling his ears as his vision fades to black. Drawing on the pain and fury Tiny forces his way forwards, the deadly energy blasts no longer holding him off as he draws them in. Rents appear over his veins as fire erupts from his body, the hateful power too much to be entirely contained.

With a wordless cry of rage Tiny unleashes his pain on Garolf and the others. Streams of incandescent malice explode from his body and converge on his allies. The darkness recedes from Tiny’s vision and he witnesses Garolf and the faceless firing squad consumed by the maelstrom, flailing and wailing piteously before collapsing into crumbling pillars of ash. Tiny roars in triumph the very force of his voice shattering the pillars and causing them to blow away on the wind. Now where his former foes once stood lies only a small blackened skeleton clutching a cybernetic arm nearly half its size. As Tiny stares and the realization that he has murdered Hrar, a being he was sworn to protect, a being who has done nothing but attempt to help Tiny the sinister whispers start again. 'Murderer! Murderer! Monster! Monster!' Tiny turns and flees heading towards Rownn firing an eWeb into the distance.

As Tiny nears Rownn the scenery blurs, the world around them dissolving and reforming to mimic Tiny’s first encounter with Rownn. This time however Tiny is wearing a robe and Rownn is smirking maliciously as he holds Tiny aloft with one arm. Mr Big and his cronies flank the Wookiee egging him on. With barely a thought Tiny summons his light sabre into his hand the cold steel cylinder’s weight reassuring. With trancelike calm Tiny touches the hilt of the light sabre to Rownn’s chest. A fleeting thought recognizes just how easy this is to do with Rownn’s attention on the criminals and how difficult it would be to cut off Rownn’s arm in comparison. As Rownn turns back to face him Tiny thumbs the activation stud feeling the momentary resistance of the trigger before the blade bursts into life punching through Rownn’s chest with the foul smell of burning hair. The expression on Rownn’s face changes, beatific rather than smirking as his dying words rasp from his lips. “You could be so much better than this… You are better than this.”

As Rownn dies the ground under Tiny’s hooves crumbles sending him tumbling to a chasm. Instinct more than will causes him to latch onto a ledge as he falls. The world around him changes again and he is on a precipice half way down a mountain. At the base of the mountain is a fiery pit filled with misshapen gladiators killing and maiming each other in the most gruesome way possible, laughing as the bodies are consumed by the flames. Each warrior striving to be the champion and rule over the chaos with unending violence. At the top of the mountain a small contingent of beings sit peacefully ignoring a large table laden with food. There is one less chair at the table than there are beings. Towering over the beings is what could only be described as a demon, lashing at the beings and attempting to tempt or force the beings to take a seat at the table. Despite this the beings steadfastly refuse, even when one of their number is slain and one of the chairs crumble they continue to resist.

Tiny stand on the ledge looking up and down at his choices. His right arm has morphed into a four headed flail, each head a leering skull jerking and dragging him steadily towards the precipice and the conflict below. Only his tenuous grip on the mountain itself stops him from being dragged down.